Obituaries
William Dotson Spokane
Visitation for William Walter Dotson, 70, is scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Service will be at noon Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church with burial at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Born in Memphis, Tenn., Mr. Dotson died Saturday.
He entered the Navy in 1943 and served four years.
He graduated from college in Rhode Island and then served in the Air Force for 13 years.
Mr. Dotson moved to Spokane in 1956 and worked as a custodian for School District 81.
He served as a deacon at New Hope Baptist Church.
His wife, Annie Dotson, preceded him in death.
Mr. Dotson is survived by two daughters, Sandra Evans and Debbie Whitsett, both of Spokane; two brothers, Willie Dotson of Memphis, Tenn., and Grover Dotson of Battle Creek, Mich.; three sisters, Margie Dotson, Lillian Johnson and Mary Davis, all of Chicago; three grandchildren, a stepgrandson and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to New Hope Baptist Church.
Al ‘Bucky’ Boyd Spokane
Visitation for Al “Bucky” Boyd, 39, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South. Service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Cremation will follow.
Born in Tacoma, Mr. Boyd Monday.
He had lived in Spokane since 1962 and attended Lewis and Clark High School.
He was a laborer.
Mr. Boyd is survived by his longtime companion, Ione Hudson; a son, William, and a daughter, Terry, both of Spokane; and his mother, Annie Boyd, and a brother, Curt Boyd, both of Spokane.
Anne Lawrence Spokane
Visitation for Anne R. Lawrence, 87, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Heritage Funeral Chapel. Burial will be at Spokane Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Lawrence, who died Monday, was born in British Columbia.
She was a longtime Spokane resident and formerly owned Nims Cafe.
She was a member of the Daughters of the Nile.
Survivors include her husband of 25 years, Walter Lawrence; two daughters, Joy Copenhaver of Bellevue, Wash., and Judy Muzzy of Battle Ground, Wash.; a sister, Ethel Rinear of Otis Orchards; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Mary Omejc Valley, Wash.
Service for Mary J. Omejc, 104, will be at 11 a.m. today at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Valley. Burial will be at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Jump Off Joe, Wash. Schanzenbach Funeral Home in Chewelah, Wash., is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Omejc, who died Monday, was born in Yugoslavia.
She immigrated to St. Joseph, Minn., in 1908 and moved to the Jump Off Joe area of Washington a year later.
She was a member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church.
Survivors include a son, John Omejc of Valley; three daughters, Julie Bramsche of Tacoma, Irma Doyle of Puyallup, Wash., and Hannah Omejc of Valley; four grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren.
Alice Follevaag Spokane
Service for Alice F. Follevaag, 81, will be at 1 p.m. today at Open Door Congregational Church in Deer Park. Burial will be at Woodland Cemetery in Deer Park. Lauer Funeral Home in Deer Park is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Olympia, Mrs. Follevaag died Sunday.
She married Maurice Follevaag in 1942 in Olympia, and they moved to Spokane in 1946.
She worked as a secretary at Sunset Life Insurance Co. and as an executive secretary for several other companies and for the family real estate appraisal business, Barrett and Follevaag, until she retired.
She was a member of Beta Theta Pi.
She is survived by her husband; a son, Carl Follevaag of Coeur d’Alene; a sister, Dorothy Mallgren of Olympia; and two granddaughters.
William Johnson Spokane
A memorial service for William Johnson, 51, will be at 1 p.m. today at Holy Temple Church of God in Christ. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Johnson, who died Sunday, was born in Midland, Pa.
He graduated from high school in Pennsylvania and from Eastern Washington University.
He served in the Air Force and worked for Sheridan Elementary School, Lockheed, Burlington Northern Railroad and Northwest Bedding.
He was a 30-year Spokane resident.
Mr. Johnson is survived by his wife, Karen Johnson; a daughter, Antoinette Johnson of Fort Irwin, Calif.; a son, Anthony Johnson of Spokane; his mother, Dorothy Johnson of Midland; three brothers, Jerome Johnson of Spokane, Delbert Johnson of Washington, D.C., and Edmund Johnson of Libby, Mont.; and two grandsons.
Memorial contributions may be made to Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Gussie Elmore Spokane
Service for Gussie Marie Elmore, 97, is planned for 2 p.m. today at Sunset Mausoleum Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Elmore, who was born at Deep Creek, Wash., died Saturday.
She was a homemaker and a longtime Spokane resident.
Her husband, Earl Elmore, died in 1979.
She is survived by a son, Russell Elmore; three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Fay Lewis Spokane
Service for Fay J. Lewis, 87, is set for noon today at Hazen Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park.
Born in Ashville, N.C., Mrs. Lewis died Dec. 26.
She graduated from Washington State College and had lived in Spokane since 1951. She had taught music in Kahlotus, Wash.
Mrs. Lewis is survived by two sons, Erwin Lewis of Knoxville, Tenn., and Stanley Lewis of Medical Lake; two sisters, Evelyn Miller of Colfax, Wash., and Frankie Manus of Marysville, Wash.; three grandchildren and three great-grandsons.
Velma Heimbigner Spokane
Service for Velma Rebecca Heimbigner, 79, will be at 1 p.m. today at Hazen and Jaeger Funeral Home. Burial will be at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Mrs. Heimbigner, who was born in Edwall, Wash., died Monday.
She was a homemaker and was a resident of the Spokane area for 56 years.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years, George Heimbigner; three sons, Larry Heimbigner of Ellensburg, and Stanley and Michael Heimbigner, both of Spokane; a brother, Norman Herman of Spokane; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Thomas O’Neill Spokane
Memorial service for Thomas Patrick O’Neill, 73, will be held at a later date. The Cremation Society of Washington is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. O’Neill, who died Sunday, was born in Spokane.
He worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad and then the Burlington Northern Railroad for 40 years.
Survivors include his wife, Verdelle Green O’Neill; his mother, Gladys Holbert of Loomis, Wash.; a sister, Pauline O’Neill Curtis of Loomis; a foster daughter, Lynn Johnston Skramstad; and a foster grandson.
Carl ‘Jake’ Jacques Sr. Spokane
Private service for Carl William “Jake” Jacques Sr., 66, will be held at a later date. Thornhill Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Jacques, who died Monday, was born in Ogdensburg, N.Y.
He worked for Kaiser Mead and retired after 31 years.
He had lived in Spokane for 45 years.
Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Edna Jacques; a daughter, Diana Burger; two sons, Andy and Carl Jacques Jr.; three brothers, Myron, Harold and Chuck; two sisters, Jenny and Carol; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Arthur Sather Spokane
Memorial service for Arthur C. Sather, 87, is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Private entombment will precede. Hennessey-Smith Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Sather, former president of the Associated General Contractors, died Monday.
He was born in Edmonds, Wash., and had lived in Spokane for 60 years.
He was a contractor and served on the board of directors of Central Pre-Mix.
Mr. Sather was a member of the Shrine, the Masonic Lodge, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, the Empire Club, the Spokane Club, the Hayden Lake (Idaho) Country Club and Downs Lake Duck Club.
He is survived by his wife, Donna Jean; three daughters, Karen Nesbeitt of Houston, Joan Morris of Spokane and Sue Woods of Houston; a son, Arthur Sather Jr. of Eugene, Ore.; a sister, Florence Gowdy of Seattle; nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Visiting Nurse Association or Hospice of Spokane.
Jennie Rizzi Tigard, Ore.
Graveside service for Jennie Rizzi, 89, is planned for 10 a.m. Thursday at Holy Cross Cemetery in Spokane. Young’s Funeral Home in Tigard is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Rizzi, a former longtime Spokane resident, died Monday.
She was born in Spokane and lived here until 1976, when she retired from the Marriott Corp. and moved to Tigard.
Her husband, Michael, preceded her in death.
Mrs. Rizzi is survived by two daughters, Carolyn Hollister of Tigard and Mickie Miles of Spokane; four brothers, Charles, Wirt and Frank Pirello, all of Spokane, and Andrew Pirello of Kent, Wash.; a sister, Mary Piganelli of Auburn, Wash.; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Irene ‘Bim’ Harvey Spokane
Private service for Irene Vivian “Bim” Harvey was held.
Mrs. Harvey, 88, died Monday.
She was born in Crookston, Minn.
She graduated from North Central High School and attended Dominican College in San Rafael, Calif. She was a longtime Spokane resident and had been a resident of Rockwood Manor.
Her husband, Fred Harvey, died in 1990.
She is survived by three sons, Donald Harvey of San Rafael, Michael Harvey of Edmonds, Wash., and Frederick “Fritz” Harvey III of Spokane; a sister, Mary Graham of Spokane; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities.
Gordon Olcott Spokane
Memorial service for Gordon Olcott, 69, is planned for 1 p.m. Saturday at St. David’s Episcopal Church. Ball and Dodd Funeral Home-South is in charge of cremation.
Mr. Olcott, who was born in Kansas City, Mo., died Dec. 26.
Before and during World War II he worked in the aerospace industry.
In 1972 he moved to Spokane and went to work at Sacred Heart Medical Center as a printer. He retired in 1992.
He was a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Cursillo Community of Spokane, the German-American Society and the Concordia Choir.
His wife of 33 years, Carletta “Kelly” Olcott, died in 1984.
Mr. Olcott is survived by his fiancee, Fran Shaw; two daughters, Sylvia Drill of Lake Oswego, Ore., and Katherine Corcoran of Ridgefield, Wash.; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. David’s Episcopal Church or Hospice of Spokane.
Amanda Pearson Colfax, Wash.
Service for Amanda Jane Pearson, 6, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Peace Lutheran Church in Colfax. Burial will be at Colfax Cemetery. Bruning Funeral Home in Colfax is in charge of arrangements.
Amanda died Monday after an accident on the family farm.
She was born in Pullman and was a first-grade student at Jennings Elementary School.
She played soccer and was named the most inspirational player on her team.
She is survived by her parents, John and Debbie Pearson of Colfax; three sisters, Kristyn, Megan and Samantha Pearson, all of Colfax; her grandparents, Don and Sandy Smith of Othello, Wash., and Ken and Michelle Pearson of New Zealand; and her great-grandmothers, Ruth Bloomberg of Sun City, Calif., and Belle Smith of Othello.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Jennings Elementary School Library.
Earl Cunningham Spokane
Service for Earl Leap Cunningham, 82, was Thursday at Sunset Chapel at Fairmount Memorial Park. Burial followed.
Mr. Cunningham, who died Monday, was born and raised in Meadow Grove, Neb.
In 1935, he came to Spokane with the Civilian Conservation Corps. He later worked for Regal Brothers Chrysler Plymouth and Tom Price Chrysler Plymouth as a mechanic. He retired in 1976.
In 1937, he married Florence Baker in Tilden, Neb.
He was a member of the Moose Lodge and the Independent Order of Foresters.
Survivors include his wife; a son, Robert Cunningham of Tillamook, Ore.; two sisters, Edna Daniels and Sara Johnston; and two grandchildren.
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